Is Vaping Better than Smoking: The Ultimate Showdown

Forget elections and political arguments on Twitter, there’s a key debate ranging across the world: which is better, vaping or smoking? Here we’ll consider four key areas – health and safety, availability, cost, and smell and taste – to figure out which comes out on top.

Health and safety

This is probably the biggest and most contentious issue when it comes to the battle between vaping and smoking. It’s time to get series for a minute.

We’re all well versed in the dangers of smoking[1]. Cigarette smoke accounts for nearly 500,000 deaths in the United States alone. In both men and women, it can increase the risk of lung disease, coronary heart disease, stroke, and even cancer – including cancer of the lungs, stomach, pancreas, and kidney. It’s not just those who smoke 50 a day that are at risk of these health problems, they can begin to effect those who smoke fewer than five cigarettes a day.

As vaping is a relatively new phenomenon, the research is not as cflaonclusive. Most reports in the United States are largely negative, but work across the pond is trying to dispel the myths surrounding vaping. A study conducted by Public Health England argues that e-cigarettes are around “95% less harmful than tobacco”[2]. Not only has it been found to be less harmful for vapers themselves, but another study conducted in the US found that ‘second-hand vaping’ is not something that people should be worried about[3].

Winner: We know the jury is still out on this one, but when you look at the harmful effects of smoking and the number of fatalities as a direct result of the habit, it’s safe to say that vaping is the clear winner.

Ease of access and availability

Cigarettes have been readily available since the mid-20th century, with every superstore and small convenience store having a million and one different varieties in stock. Even ten years ago e-cigarettes were difficult to come by, but in recent years things have definitely changed. Now, entire stores are purpose built just to sell e-cigarettes, e-juices, and vaping accessories. So, now that e-cigarettes are just as readily available as traditional cigs, there’s really no reason not to opt for a vaporizer instead.

Winner: In our third round, we’d say that smoking and vaping are level pegging. Both are now easily accessible on the market, and the vaping industry is growing at a rapid rate.

Cost

Another big question is the cost of vaping when compared with smoking. So, it’s time for some math.
Back in 2015, The Awl put together a helpful piece detailing how much a pack of traditional cigarettes would cost you in each state[4]. Prices ranged from $4.98 to a whopping $13.50 (no prizes for guessing which state that is in!), with the average cost being $7.26 per pack. So, if you’re getting through a pack a day, this brings the total average yearly cost to $2649.90 – a figure which could rise to $4927.50 if you happen to live in New York.

There is a lot more equipment involved in vaping – which can lead to people believing it will be more expensive. If you were to buy a bottle of Blacknote’s Quartet once a fortnight, the total cost across the year would be $910. Factor in roughly $50 for an average vaporizer and $25 for spare batteries across the year, you get a total that is a fraction of the cost of smoking.

Winner: When it comes to the price tag, vaping is the clear winner. Even if you were to splash out on the latest fancy gear, the cost probably wouldn’t compare to the expensive of smoking in most states.

Smell and taste

Anyone who has ever smoked will tell you that it smells. And it doesn’t just smell a little, tobacco smoke smells a lot. It will cling to your clothes and your hair, it will linger in your nostrils for hours after you’ve taken your last drag, and to top it all off it will leave you with discolored teeth. With e-cigarettes, on the other hand, things are very different. While you can get tobacco flavored e-juices, the smell is not as pungent. You can also get e-juice in a variety of different flavors too, including ones like vanilla that taste and smell decidedly sweeter. When it comes to vaping, you won’t have to vigorously wash your clothes after every cigarette, others won’t be constantly repulsed by the smell, and you won’t have to worry about having yellowing teeth.

Winner: What else can we say? Vaping definitely wins this round.

So, there we have it, when it comes to four key issues – health, availability, cost, and smell and taste – it’s clear that vaping comes out as the winner.

Man Behind eAskme

Gaurav Kumar

Gaurav Kumar is the founder of eAskme.com. He is the professional blogger, writer, motivational speaker and online. He the man behind "Blogging for money guide" and "complete domain name guide". eAskme will help you to become an online entrepreneur. You can learn SEO, Money MAKING, SEO, blogging and more.
Gaurav is numerous blogs to help people in every niche. Learn more about the founder of eAskme here.